The pitcher that went from Rule 5 longshot to bullpen stalwart

Considering that there are often situations where teams selecting pitchers in the Rule 5 draft try to spend all season hiding such a player and using him sparingly, right-hander Tyler Wells worked out much better than that for the 2021 Orioles.

In looking back at the Rule 5 from Dec. 10, 2020, there were 18 players selected in the major league phase. With the 5th pick, the Orioles took right-hander Mac Sceroler from the Cincinnati Reds, and with the 17th pick, they selected Wells from the Minnesota Twins. So several teams that selected players passed on Wells and the Orioles made him the second of their two Rule 5 picks.

Back on the day of that draft, there had to be some serious questions about if Wells would make through an entire season with the Orioles. Here are just a few reasons:

* Wells was never ranked among the top 30 Twins prospects.

* Wells was not a high draft pick, taken in round 15 of the 2016 draft from Cal State-San Bernardino. He was the 453rd player selected.

* Wells had Tommy John surgery in May 2019. He pitched zero innings in both 2019 and 2020.

* Wells had thrown just 32 2/3 innings in his career above Single-A ball and had not yet advanced to Triple-A.

But Wells had good minor league numbers, including solid walk and strikeout rates, and a mid-90s fastball. The day of that draft, O's director of pro scouting Mike Snyder talked about how the club really liked the potential for both pitchers.

"Tyler Wells is an interesting case," he said then. "There are some similarities to Sceroler, in that we're drawn to the full assortment of weapons he has in his bag, both for lefties and righties. He's a 6-8 monster. A starter who works off four quadrants of the zone with the fastball. He features two interesting breaking balls and a plus changeup. He executes them well and throws them for strikes.

"He missed the 2019 season. He had elbow reconstruction in May of 2019, so 2020 would have largely been a lost season for him anyway. In that respect, the shutdown probably wasn't as detrimental to him as it might have been for the development of other players. With both these guys, we're excited for the chance to acquire two starting pitchers that feature an impressive combination of bat-missing ability and a proclivity for throwing strikes. These were the two players that we had targeted."

In his last pro season with stats in 2018, between high Single-A and Double-A, Wells went 10-6 with a 2.49 ERA. Over 119 1/3 innings, he walked 31, fanned 121 and recorded a WHIP of 0.95.

The Orioles got a pitcher who not only did they not need to hide, but one that was quickly pitching in both high-leverage and save situations. Impressive for a Rule 5 pick with zero pro innings over the previous two seasons. To say he exceeded expectations is an understatement.

Wells went 2-3 with a 4.11 ERA and four saves. Over 57 innings, he allowed 40 hits with an impressive 65-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 0.912 WHIP. Many rate stats were strong, like the 6.3 hits per nine he allowed, the 1.4 homers, 1.9 walks and 10.3 strikeouts.

Lefties batted just .167/.218/.250/.468 versus Wells with one homer. Right-handers fared a bit better, but not great, batting .206/.248/.426/.675, and he allowed eight of his nine homers to righty batters.

Wells fared much better on the road, with an ERA of 1.14, than home, where he was 2-3 with a 6.21 ERA in 25 games. Of the nine homers he allowed for the season, all nine came in Baltimore.

Wells showed strong swing-and-miss numbers, but when a batter did get to the baseball, he could square it up at times. He rated in the 22nd percentile, behind 78 percent of pitchers, allowing an average exit velocity of 90 mph. But he also rated in the 84th percentile in strikeout percentage and in a very impressive 95th percentile in chase rate. An indication that his stuff was solid, and we saw that in lively fastball velocity and quality secondaries.

Wells also showed an abundance of poise and little fear or trepidation facing some of the best American League East hitters in game-on-the-line spots.

Wells missed the season's final eight games with right shoulder inflammation, which seems like nothing to provide any large concern. He missed some time in July with right wrist tendinitis.

Perhaps at some point, the Orioles could even consider moving Wells to the rotation, a place he is familiar with from his three seasons in college and pro ball through 2018.

For now, he has become a key piece in the O's bullpen with a seemingly very bright future and has established himself in 2021 as a potential core player in the rebuilding efforts for the Orioles.